UNIFIL confirms Israeli wall crosses into Lebanese territory

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has confirmed that sections of an Israeli concrete wall crosses into Lebanese territory, after peacekeepers carried out two geospatial surveys in October and November.

In a statement shared with The New Arab on Thursday, the UN peacekeepers said a T-wall erected by the Israeli army southwest of Yaroun had crossed the Blue Line near Yaroun, blocking more than 4,000 square metres of Lebanese land.

A second stretch of wall southeast of the village was also found to be inside Lebanon, the statement added.

UNIFIL said it has notified the Israeli army of both violations and requested that the walls be moved.

The peacekeeping mission said a separate concrete wall seen between Aitaroun and Maroun al Ras lies south of the Blue Line, clarifying earlier reports that Israel was building a multi-kilometre barrier inside Lebanese territory.

The Blue Line was demarcated by the UN in 2000 to verify Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon after its 22-year occupation. It is not an official international border but serves as the de facto dividing line between Israel and Lebanon.

"Israeli presence and construction in Lebanese territory are violations of Security Council Resolution 1701 and of Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity," UNIFIL said.

"We again call on the [Israeli forces] to respect the Blue Line in its full length and withdraw from all areas north of it."

No Lebanese officials have commented publicly on the new findings, though Beirut has repeatedly urged Washington and the UN to press Israel to comply with the ceasefire and pull back from the border posts it continues to occupy.

The latest wall construction comes amid daily Israeli violations of the ceasefire that took effect on 27 November 2024.

According to Lebanese officials, more than 6,000 breaches have been recorded since then, resulting in over 300 deaths and more than 600 injuries, along with heavy damage to homes, farmland, and infrastructure in border villages.

Israel continues to occupy five points inside southern Lebanon, despite the ceasefire obliging its forces to withdraw.

Lebanese security sources say Israel has recently increased its presence at some of these positions to as many as seven sites.

President Joseph Aoun said on Friday that the situation in the south would "change with the presence of the army", adding that the military was now "the decision-maker in the south" and responsible for responding to any Israeli ground incursions.

Aoun reiterated that Lebanon was committed to the ceasefire agreement and to ending the occupation of Lebanese territory.

He said the country's protection "comes from its Arab environment", welcoming recent signals from Saudi Arabia about strengthening economic ties with Beirut.